PHILLIMON MHLANGA
Zimbabwe’s environment regulator and monitor, the Environmental Management Agency (EMA), is appealing for funding from the Treasury to fund its operations.
EMA’s director of environmental management services, Steady Kangata said the authority required urgent funds to enable it to make critical interventions to deal with numerous environmental challenges facing Zimbabwe.
“From the 2019 National Budget, we got US$14.5m. But, we got nothing from the 2020 National Budget. We are now appealing to the Treasury, for financial support,” Kangata said.
He added: “There is a predictable source of income from carbon tax levy but the government may decide not to fund since we are a parastatal.”
Zimbabwe is facing multiple environmental challenges that range from deforestation, veld fires, inadequate quantity and the deterioration of the quality of water resources, air pollution, poor waste management and climate change.
Another environmental concern in Zimbabwe is that many unregulated miners have severely disrupted the governance of the environment across the country.
The miners are causing untold environmental damage, leaving huge open pits that could trap humans or wildlife to their death.
Last year, the Treasury gave EMA about US$15m to fund its operations. But, no financial resources were deployed by the Treasury to the agency this year, according to Kangata.
Established under the Environmental Management Act in 2003, EMA is a statutory body responsible for ensuring the sustainable management of natural resources and protection of the environment in Zimbabwe.
